Video: ‘Fry Eggs on Sidewalk’ Heat Reaches 116 F

Temperatures soared to 116F (47 C) in Eilat and 103F (39 C) in Jerusalem. Videos show it may not be hot enough to fry eggs on a sidewalk.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 7/18/2012, 1:32 PM

Sun power

Flash 90

Temperatures soared to 116 Fahrenheit (47 Celsius) in Eilat and 103 (39 C) in Jerusalem Wednesday. Videos show you really can fry an egg on Eilat’s sidewalks. The thermometer hit 93 degrees F (34 C) in Tel Aviv, but the humidity there was 70 percent, compared with 20 percent in Jerusalem and 15 percent in Eilat.

The coolest spot was on the Hermon, where it reached “only” 86 degrees F (30 C).

The heat wave will subside a bit on Friday but will reappear on the Sabbath, and the unofficial longer-term forecast by amateur weather buffs is for another heat wave next Wednesday.

It is not known who came up with the idea of testing hot sidewalks to see if they can be used as a frying pan for eggs, but several YouTube videos show that it takes far more than 100-degree temperatures to succeed.

Technically, “an egg needs a temperature of 158 degrees F to become firm," according to the Library of Congress' Everyday Mysteries Web page.

But temperatures can be artificially increased by using reflector pans and glass to cover the egg.